Sources of calcium that aren’t milk

You were probably told as a kid to drink your milk so you grow up big and strong, but what if you’re lactose intolerant? How are you supposed to get your daily calcium intake?

Never fear, you can get calcium from different sources of food, not just dairy.

Why is calcium important for your health?

Calcium is considered very important for your health – you in fact have more of it in your body than any other mineral.

According to the experts at House Call Doctor, your bones and teeth are mostly made up of calcium and it also plays a large role in muscle function as well as nerve signalling.

For an adult, it is recommended that you take 1,000 to 1,300 mg per day depending on your age and gender.

However, a large number of people don’t actually get their proper intake of calcium from their diet.

Foods that are high sources of calcium:

There are many foods that are rich in calcium. These include:

Seeds: Most seeds, such as poppy, chia, sesame and celery, are packed full of calcium. For example, only one tablespoon of poppy seeds has around 126 mg of calcium. They also are high in protein and contain healthy omega-3 fatty acids.

Cheese: One of the more obvious substitutes, cheeses are great sources of calcium. Harder cheeses like parmesan have a high amount of calcium, whereas softer cheeses have less. Some cheeses are low in lactose and have many other additional health benefits.

Yoghurt: Another great source of calcium, yoghurt is rich in probiotic bacteria and can contain nearly 45 per cent of the recommended daily intake.

Leafy greens: Some dark leafy greens are packed full of calcium. Collard greens, kale and spinach are considered to have large amounts of calcium.

Rhubarb: Along with vitamin K, fibre and other vitamins, cooked rhubarb has about 87 mg of calcium – however, the calcium might not be fully absorbed.